Afghan Pchak

Pchak (from the Uzbek wordPichoq– knife)is a traditional knife of the Uzbeks and Uighurs, widespread with minor variations in detail throughout Central Asia. Pchaks traditionally have a single-edged blade with a full flat grind set in a narrow, round-section handle. A narrow tang emerges from the blade at the level of the spine. These are utility knives, for kitchen work, although among the Uighurs the pchak was a male attribute, so it must also have been used as a weapon. Pchaks were made from various materials; for the wealthy, these could be high-quality steels with richly decorated handles, but such specimens were rare. Bułat and Damascus steel were more likely used for sabers, and mass-produced pchaks were made from low-hardness carbon steels. Today, Uzbek pchaks made of 90% industrial tool steel ШХ15 (Polish equivalent LH15) are widely available in Russia. However, the growing fashion for exotic blades unusual for Europe (Yakut knives, Nepalese kukris, kerambits) means that pchaks produced by hand in the European part of the former USSR, in regions where blacksmithing traditions have been preserved, are appearing on the market.

This pchak is a so-called Afghanka – a knife with a characteristic slender blade with a slightly upward-turned tip. Pchakskajkealso have upward-turned tips, but Afghanka seem to have a more predatory character due to the smaller blade width. The blade is made of very high-quality forged Damascus steel, typical for pchaks bolster (called giulband) made of nickel silver, handle made of stabilized Karelian birch – one of the more expensive types of stabilized wood. Full flat grind. A manufacturer's monogram and inscription are engraved on the blade under the handle:"ОКСКИЕ НОЖИ ДАМАССКАЯ СТАЛЬ",but the whole is poorly visible against the background of the Damascus pattern. Leather sheath.

Total length: 283 mm

Blade length: 155 mm

Blade width (max.): 28 mm

Blade thickness (max.): 2 mm

Manufacturer: Okskije nozhi company, Pavlovo, Russian Federation